Dealer parts hub competition ramps up with new GSF distribution centre

GSF Car Parts, the UK motor factor, has opened its new National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Wolverhampton.

The company took over the 500,000 sq ft facility in Wolverhampton back in May, and will serve as the central logistics hub, modernising GSF’s supply chain infrastructure and streamlining delivery processes into its 194-strong national branch network.

GSF said the distribution centre is designed for future scalability, currently spanning nearly half a million sq ft of floor space expandable to up to 750,000 sq ft with mezzanine.

The site includes office space, advanced logistics capabilities with 58 docks, eight-level access loading doors, and nearly 700 parking spaces for cars and HGVs.

The NDC is set to create more than 400 job opportunities across the West Midlands. 

This news comes off the back of a year of rapid growth for the car parts distributor, with sales year-on-year up by more than 22% so far in 2024.

Steve Horne, GSF Car Parts chief executive, said: “The opening of our National Distribution Centre is a landmark moment for GSF Car Parts.

“For years, we recognised the need for a centralised facility to elevate our service, and now that vision is a reality.

“Located in an ideal, central position, this facility empowers us to deliver exceptional service and product availability to our customers.”

Sukhpal Ahluwalia, GSF chairman, described the NDC as a “game changer” for the business.

He said: “GSF has desperately needed a central distribution centre for years, but similar projects under past owners have been met with false starts.

"As soon as we acquired the business last year, we knew we needed to get it done – no ifs, no buts.

“We made the commitment, and we delivered. Our ability to deliver this massive 500,000-sq-ft facility talks to the quality of our team. No one else would have been able to deliver a complicated project such as this one at breakneck speed.

"The new NDC is all about putting our customers at the centre of the business. When I was speaking with our customers last year, they all said that availability was one of their top priorities.”

Ahluwalia said every GSF branch nationwide will be able to access next day deliveries as a result of the NDC.

He added: “Before our branches even open their doors, the parts that they need will be there, whether it's restocking or ordering for customers.

“We will be able to deliver our customers a far superior service, and we will be able to let our knowledgeable team focus more time on looking after our valued garage customers."